Brock Lesnar's Refusal to Do Media Promotion for WrestleMania Is the Right Move

WrestleMania 29 weekend is in full gear as WWE prepares for Sunday night and its biggest event of the year. The company’s Superstars have invaded New Jersey and fans are getting the opportunity to meet all of their favorites. But this does not include Brock Lesnar, who has decided to sit this one out.

According to F4Wonline, via Wrestlezone.com, Brock is doing no media promotion, due to the fact that he does not like doing interviews. The same was true of his career in UFC, when he often chose to stay as far away from the media as possible.

I must admit that the fan in me takes real issue with this.

The reason for that is because this is not just your average, run-of-the-mill Superstar. This is Brock Lesnar. The man that WWE.com refers to as The Anomaly is just that, and so much more.

He’s outspoken. He’s controversial. And just his sheer presence alone would be enough to generate such a buzz in the room that every head would certainly turn in his direction the moment he entered and he would be overrun with interview requests.

Love him or hate him, Brock Lesnar is a definite plus for WWE. He brings attention, publicity and perhaps even fans who either followed him before he left the company or followed him from UFC. Combine that with his combustible personality and mean streak in the ring, and WWE sees a Superstar that it has every intention of using as long as he’s willing.

photo by wwe.com

But all of that—the publicity, the personality—means nothing if he’s not there for fans to see during WrestleMania weekend.

How is his presence a positive for WWE when all he does is show up a couple times per year, work a match or two, then disappear for several months? How is that helping the company at all?

If there was ever an event that should demand Brock Lesnar’s attention, and warrant a full-time media promotion, it’s WrestleMania. Vince McMahon’s most important night, the largest event in the pro wrestling business, and Lesnar does not want to be there to hype it?

What about the fact that Brock is booked in a high-profile match against Triple H? Should that not be enough of a reason for him to make an appearance during WrestleMania weekend? He is a featured Superstar, one of the main selling points of the night, yet he just can’t find the time to be involved the weekend before?

OK. Now that my inner fan has had his say, it's time for the opinion of my inner analyst.

The truth is I think it’s good that Brock Lesnar is not doing media promotion during WrestleMania weekend. In fact, I think it’s the best thing for him.

Again, he is working a match against Triple H on April 7th. But as we all know, Hunter is not just any Superstar. He is Vince’s son-in-law, WWE’s chief operating officer and heir apparent to run the company.

And he is in the crosshairs of Brock Lesnar, who “broke” his arm twice last year.

photo by wwe.com

Let’s not forget about the fact that Brock viciously attacked Vince McMahon himself recently, giving him an F-5 on Monday Night Raw, requiring him to have hip surgery.

Taking all of that into consideration, why in the world would the McMahon family want him around at all?

For me, Brock’s dislike of the media ties in perfectly with the storyline he currently finds himself in. The heat that he has with the McMahon family is a big deal; it’s the defining element in his feud with Triple H. How ridiculous would it look if Brock participated in media promotion, putting over the company that’s run by the man he tried to cripple and whose second in command he intends to cripple at WrestleMania?

This is not just heat. It’s not just a feud. It’s the most dangerous man in WWE, targeting the family that runs the company. Paul Heyman, Brock’s advocate, would surely advise Lesnar that it would not be wise to meet the McMahons on their own turf in a professional setting with live cameras. WWE would likely not want him there to potentially ruin any of the plans in place to promote 'Mania to the masses.

And besides all of that, whatever happened to hating the heel?

These days, we as fans are all so educated in how the business works, so analytical of what we see, that at times we forget to actually be fans.

And fans should hate Brock Lesnar. There should be nothing even remotely redeeming about him. Everything he says and does should be detestable to fans young and old and to give him any other reaction is to invalidate all the work that has been done in heeling him out in the first place.

photo by wwe.com

To give him the media spotlight during WrestleMania weekend would be like openly advertising that the entire event is nothing but a work, that Lesnar is playing a character and does not need to be taken seriously.

As an analyst, and as a fan, I want WWE to recognize the storyline at every opportunity. I want them to respect it in every way. Not focusing on the man who would love to see the company burn to the ground while Heyman played Nero’s fiddle is the right move. It reinforces that storyline.

Brock Lesnar’s desire to stay away from media promotion for WrestleMania 29 directly coincides with the storyline that he is currently in with Triple H. They will be going to war on April 7th, with Hunter's career on the line, and until the opening bell rings for their match, Brock should continue to be portrayed as an incredibly dangerous threat to not only The Game but the entire McMahon family.

WrestleMania weekend is for the WWE Superstars to mingle with the fans and to hype the event on Sunday. As for Brock Lesnar, however, his talking will be done in the ring, where it counts.